Visas:
SHS/2017/PI/H/8
First MOST Forum of Ministers of Social Development for the Asia-Pacific Region
Building Inclusive Societies
22-23 March 2017
(Preceded by a senior officials meeting on 20-21 March)
Concept Note
Limited circulation. Not for citation
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1. Introduction and Background
The first MOST Regional Forum of Ministers of Social Development for the Asia-Pacific
countries under the auspices of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations
(MOST) Programme will be hosted in March 2017 by Her Excellency Dato’ Sri Rohani
Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, President of the
Intergovernmental Council (IGC) of the MOST Programme.
The aim of the Forum – a flagship activity of MOST Programme – is to share knowledge,
expertise and experience on developing and implementing innovative, evidence-based,
effective public policies and to establish relevant, credible and actionable agendas for
translating rigorous social science knowledge into policy action. Twenty-two sub-regional
Forums have been organized since 2001 in different parts of the world. More than 200
Ministers and Ministerial representatives have so far participated in the MOST Forums of
Ministers of Social Development.
Under the Malaysian Presidency of the MOST IGC, for the first time in its history, the
Forum will bring together Ministers in charge of the social development portfolio from
across the entire region. Earlier MOST has organized, in co-operation with host countries,
some subregional forums of Ministers for South Asia (in 2006 on Decentralization in South
Asia (Pakistan), in 2008 on the Right to Education in South Asia (India) and in 2011 on
Social Protection in South Asia (Sri Lanka). Furthermore, a High-level Forum on
Management of Social Transformations of ASEAN countries was co-organized with the
Government of Vietnam in 2013 focusing on the social dimensions of global environmental
change.
A wide range of stakeholders will contribute to the Forum, including UNESCO, UNESCAP,
UNDESA, UNDP etc. from the UN system, as well as researchers, senior officials and civil
society representatives. The Forum will be a high-level opportunity to showcase success
stories in the region, to identify the priority policy areas for each country, to promote
evidence-based policy solutions, to harmonize policies across the national borders, and to
enrich the policy design and implementation processes by cutting-edge research from the
academic establishment.
The Forum will enable high-level exchange on best practices on the theme and
subthemes, as well as presentation of relevant research by researchers and programmes
and activities by UN system representatives, review of policy options, and interactive
discussion among all participants.
The first MOST Regional Forum of Ministers of Social Development for the Asia-Pacific
countries will serve as a platform for exchange and knowledge sharing, contributing to
policies supported by research!
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2. Thematic Focus on Inclusive Social Development
The choice of “Building Inclusive Societies” as the theme of the Forum reflects the spirit of
Agenda 2030 centred on Sustainable Development Goals. This new developmental
paradigm has placed the concept of inclusive social development at the centre-stage of
policy discourse for affluent and developing countries alike. Understanding and measuring
inclusion in various policy contexts is a new analytical and practical frontier for the national
governments, international organizations and academic communities.
The Government of Malaysia has recognized this new imperative from the very outset, and
has partnered with UNESCO in 2015 to launch a pioneering initiative that brings together
national stakeholders to assess and enhance inclusive policies through the application of
cutting-edge social science policy tools and methodologies. In Malaysia, Cambodia and
Timor-Leste, this initiative is producing new knowledge in the area of inclusive policy and
spurring innovative policy practices. The Forum will be an ideal space for showcasing the
ideas and experiences derived from these experiences.
The theme of the MOST Forum of Ministers is also responding to the comprehensive
MOST Strategy which was endorsed by UNESCO’s Executive Board at its 199 th session in
April 2016. The Strategy is stressing that within the research-policy nexus, MOST will
address a set of well-defined priorities of the 2030 development agenda in the context of
UNESCO’s institutional competence, in particular- but not exclusively- those related to
SDG 16 “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide
access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all
levels. Within the overall primary emphasis on SDG 16, the thematic focus of MOST
includes particular emphasis on topics of high contemporary relevance, such as policies
for social inclusion; the future of the planet; citizenship, good governance and peacebuilding; migration and displaced people; and the socially transformative dynamics of
digital technologies.
In order to enhance the focus of the deliberations and to optimize the value of the Forum’s
outputs, three sub-themes are proposed as the items on the Forum’s agenda: (1) Ageing
(2) Women and (3) Social innovation in the efforts to build inclusive societies. The latter
sub-theme is to be approached primarily through the angle of how social innovation can be
employed in the development and delivery of inclusive policies benefiting all ages in AsiaPacific.
Ageing
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the Political Declaration adopted at
the Second World Assembly on Ageing in April 2002 marked a turning point in how the
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world addresses the key challenge of “building a society for all ages”. As former
Secretary-General of the UN, Mr Kofi Annan, indicated in the foreword “The world has
changed almost beyond recognition since the first World Assembly on Ageing in 1982.
Where once population ageing was mostly a concern of developed countries, today it is
gaining real momentum in developing countries as well. And where once ageing may have
been thought by some to be a stand-alone issue or afterthought, today we understand that
such a dramatic demographic transformation has profound consequences for every aspect
of individual, community, national and international life.
The Madrid Plan of Action offers a bold new agenda for handling the issue of ageing in the
21st-century. It focuses on three priority areas: older persons and development; advancing
health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. It
is a resource for policymaking, suggesting ways for Governments, non-governmental
organizations, and other actors to reorient the ways in which their societies perceive,
interact with and care for their older citizens. And it represents the first time Governments
agreed to link questions of ageing to other frameworks for social and economic
development and human rights, most notably those agreed at the United Nations
conferences and summits of the past decade”.
The Political Declaration adopted in Madrid is inter alia stating “We emphasize the
importance of international research on ageing and age-related issues as an important
instrument for the formulation of policies on ageing, based on reliable and harmonized
indicators developed by, inter alia, national and international statistical organizations”. The
Platform of Action is stressing that “Harnessing of scientific research and expertise and
realizing the potential of technology to focus on, inter alia, the individual, social and health
implications of ageing, in particular in developing countries”.
At the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995 an inclusive society
was defined as “a society for all”,
It should be noted that Agenda 2030 has as its overarching objective to leave no one
behind!
On the one hand, the Asia-Pacific region is currently home to over half of the world’s
population of older persons, defined as people at 60 years or older. The region is
experiencing population ageing at an unprecedented pace, due to the tremendous
improvements in life expectancy combined with falling fertility rates. The number of older
persons in the region is expected to more than quadruple from 533 million in 2015 to more
than 2.45 billion by 2050. By then, almost two thirds of the world’s older persons will be
living in the Asia-Pacific, with one in four people in the region expected to be over 60 years
old. Due to the longer life expectancy for women, the majority of older persons are women,
with the sex ratio decreasing in the older the age group. According to the WHO (2007).
The fastest growing group among older women is the oldest-old (aged 80 or above); as in
general women outlive men for 4-5 years. As indicated in the draft Regional Review report
by UNESCAP of “A Gender Perspective on Ageing in Asia Pacific: Social Inclusion and the
Health Promotion in the Millennium Development Goals” “Population data so far has
shown that women in general and older women in Asia-Pacific in particular are less likely
to participate in the labour force, despite that they live longer. Education and labour
participation are indicators for social inclusion. By looking at these one can assert that
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older women in the region are not fully included socially” and “many developing or
underdeveloped countries in the region still have a strong hold in maintaining a patriarchal
hierarchy, seeing women as “born to serve’ their family and men in society”.
As indicated in the Madrid Platform of Action “Older women outnumber older men,
increasingly so as age increases. The situation of older women everywhere must be a
priority for policy action recognizing the differential impact of ageing on women and men
are integral to ensuring full equality between women and men and to the development of
effective and efficient measures to address the issue. It is therefore critical to ensure the
integration of a gender perspective into all policies, programmes and legislation”.
While the timing and pace of ageing differs across Asia and the Pacific, all countries will
experience an increasingly older population in the years to come. This emerging
demographic challenge needs to be addressed in the conceptual framework of social
inclusion of the ageing populations, with a special attention payed to gender dimensions.
Furthermore, from the perspective of inclusive social development, approaches to ageing
need to be set within the internationally agreed agenda of a “society for all ages”, which
emphasizes issues such as intergenerational solidarity, risks and opportunities across the
life-cycle, and the connections between family structures and the social conditions of
different generations. Ageing is also part of the Asian global demographic frame, and
linkages with the youth population and sex ratio should be envisaged.
Women
Many countries in the Asia – Pacific region have made formal commitments to gender
equality, however, women still encounter significant cultural and economic barriers to fully
participate in the community. From poverty and deprivation to insecurity and violence
against women, ensuring the rights of women remains a serious concern in the Asia
Pacific region. As a region heavily impacted by climate change, lives of women, especially
of those living in the rural areas, are put at increasing risk. This challenge is compounded
by the recent period of global recovery of economic recession and instability. At the same
time, women offer a wealth of skills, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit which are
instrumental to improving well-being for all.
This has significant implications when considering ageing, as the social and economic
status of women is already constrained, once they become older, their rights, their ability
to be heard and hence their equality, may be further undermined. Older women are often
subject of poverty, family violence and disempowerment.
Today there is more evidence that women’s empowerment and gender equality are linked
with peace and stability in society. In particular, when women participate in decisionmaking about conflicts and peace and take the lead against violence extremism in their
communities, it is more likely crises will be solved without any recourse to violence.
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Women who are engaged in multiple spheres of life are more successful in inclusive social
development of the country. Therefore, it is vital to ensure equal access of women to
education, work, physical and art activities in order to ensure their development and wellbeing through all ages. If women’s status is not raised during the childhood and adult
years, their empowerment can be further undermined in their latter years.
Realising the potential of women to shape and drive the development agenda requires
innovative and concerted interventions from all stakeholders including governments, civil
society and the private sector. There is an urgent need to identify strategic entry points
toward planning and implementation of development programmes for women which deal
with the deep and multi-faceted structural roots of the challenges faced by women in the
Asia Pacific region.
Gender equality is one of the two global priorities of UNESCO.
Social Innovation
Building inclusive societies for all ages is not simply a matter of business as usual and a
better implementation of existing policy frameworks. Such an agenda calls for new forms
of knowledge, new kinds of policy processes and new societal dynamics. It is this threefold newness, each dimension of which relates to the others, that is generally summarized
by the phrase “social innovation”. It is clear therefore that, in this sense, social innovation
is central to the MOST Programme and to implementation of Agenda 2030.
Within the framework of this MOST Ministerial Forum, social innovation is to be considered
insofar as it is and can further be employed in the design and delivery of inclusive policies
benefiting all ages in South-East Asia.
Malaysia has been harnessing social innovation emerging in various quarters of society,
looking into ways to upscale and consolidate the local practices that can be replicated
nationwide for the betterment of people’s lives. Other countries have followed suit in
building national regulatory and policy frameworks that foster social innovation.
3. Building the Foundation for the Forum
UNESCO will prepare for the Forum by raising global and regional awareness about the
event in the run-up period, and by creating linkages between the various existing major
initiatives and the Forum. As such, the Forum will not be approached as a one-off event
but as a process with a series of initiatives building up to it and following after (see also
Section 5).
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The Regular Session of the Intergovernmental Council of MOST (16-17 March), to be held
immediately prior to the Forum with the participation of 34 Member States of UNESCO, will
serve as a major political and substantive foundation for the Forum. The organization of
the IGC of MOST back to back with the Ministerial Forum will also allow for Member States
of the IGC to participate in the Forum and be exposed to the MOST Flagship activity which
will contribute to South-South and North-South learning, and inspire the IGC Member
States to host Ministerial Forums in their regions.
In addition, the following meetings and initiatives will be used to build a solid foundation for
the Forum:
- A possible MOST School to be organized in March by the Vice-President of the
MOST IGC Bureau, representing Asia-Pacific, with UNESCO Bangkok and other
partners, in Bangkok, Thailand
- A commissioned paper from a distinguished researcher or research organization
setting the analytical background for the enhanced focus on the Forum’s
discussions
- A Senior Official’s meeting on the two days prior to the Forum to be attended by the
UN system, researchers and senior officials discussing key issues and the draft
Ministerial Declaration.
- The Third Global Review of the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing, focusing on
creating a society for all, taking place in the Commission for Social Development in
February 2017, the results of which will be presented at the Forum.
- A side-event organized by MOST, in cooperation with UNDESA, during the 55th
session of the Commission for Social Development (February 2017), focusing also
on raising awareness about the Ministerial Forum and its themes. The theme of the
MOST event will be “Combating inequalities to end poverty”. The keynote speaker
will be Her Excellency Dato’ Sri Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family
and Community Development.
4. Outcomes of the Forum
The Forum will culminate in the adoption of policy oriented Ministerial Declaration. These
documents will reflect the exchanges and interventions during the Forum in which
UNESCO, the ESCAP Secretariat, senior officials accompanying ministers, numerous
researchers and members of the UN system and civil society also will express their views
and opinions. The Declaration will provide:
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An overview of the key policy concerns and priority issues in terms of inclusive
social development in the region;
Succinct recommendations for follow-up action until the next Ministerial Forum.
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In addition to the Declaration, the Forum will re-analyse whether to reinforce a mechanism
to monitor the follow-up of the recommendations and provide an accountability structure
for all stakeholders involved. The mechanism would identify key areas of work and
responsibility, responsible task teams or stakeholders as well as specific performance
indicators and reporting lines.
The visibility of the Forum will be ensured by the dissemination of its outcomes within the
MOST network, the Asia-Pacific policy and research communities and through UN
channels such as the Commission for Social Development, ECOSOC and ESCAP. The
impact will be further amplified by presenting the outcomes at the major global events
organized in the aftermath of the Forum. Moreover, through the participation of IGC and
UNESCO in the Commission for Social Development (a functional body of ECOSOC), the
outcome of the Forum will be made available to other regions, with a view to enriching
their perspective and potentially impacting on related policies and enabling inter-regional
co-operation in areas of common interest.
5. Follow-up to the Forum
Follow-up of the recommendations of the Forum of Ministers is crucial to ensure that the
political commitment, informed by research, is translated into tangible action and results. It
is also indispensable in terms of enabling the results of each Forum feed into the next one,
thereby promoting sustainability and, thus, effective and lasting impact of the Forums of
Ministers, regarded as a flagship regional mechanism within the overall MOST Action
Plan.
Experience to date points to certain key mechanisms and modalities in this respect.
It is desirable that the Minister hosting the Forum take the lead in the coordination of the
follow-up, with UNESCO’s involvement and support from the Secretariat.
Proper follow-up mechanisms are put in place within each country engaging Ministry
officials, researchers and community organizations. Within this mechanism, a national
focal point is appointed from each Ministry having attended the Forum, with the
responsibility to participate in a network of national focal points to follow-up on the various
activities, exchange ideas etc. Ideally, focal points are civil servants in order to ensure
continuity of the Forum.
The research community, the regional and the UN System partners that will participate in
the Forum are fully engaged in the follow-up of the Forum through clearly identified followup responsibilities. The outcome might also feed into the Forum which ESCAP and UNDP
might consider to launch.
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National Commissions to UNESCO and MOST National Committees, where they exist, are
encouraged to contribute to the implementation of the results of the Forum at the national
level.
Furthermore, the Forum connects to the Intergovernmental Council (IGC) and the
Scientific Advisory Committee of MOST. The outcome of the Forum will be transmitted to
the Intergovernmental Council of MOST. As such, the findings of the Forum will feed into
the debates and discussions at the IGC on how to address inclusive social development
and support inclusive policies agendas in this perspective. Through the IGC, the outcome
of the Forum will be made available to other regions, with a view to enriching their
perspective and potential impacting on related policies and enabling inter-regional
cooperation in areas of common interest.
In addition to the IGC, the Scientific Advisory Committee of MOST will support the followup of the recommendations of the Forum, by providing scientific feedback on research
gaps, showcasing relevant research developed at international and regional level and
replicating the research conducted in the context of the Asia-Pacific Forum to other
regions.
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Appendix
Sharing of responsabilities between the Government of Malaysia
and UNESCO in the organization of the Forum
The proposed MOST Forum will be organized and held in accordance with the established
framework of collaboration between the host Government and UNESCO in organizing
MOST Ministerial Forums. As an initial basis for discussion, the following usual division of
tasks and responsibilities may serve as a reference. The details will be specified shortly in
a formal Letter of Exchange between the Honorable Her Excellency Ms Dato’ Sri Rohan
Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, and Ms Nada AlNashif, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences.
Shared Responsibilities between the host Government and UNESCO
The host Government and UNESCO agree on the theme of the Forum and the content of
the the draft agenda of the Forum and the senior officials meeting; the concept paper to be
cirulated prior to the Forum to guide the discussions; and the draft of the Ministerial
Declaration (to be submitted for consultation to all participants, and to be adopted at the
end of the forum).
Usual responsibilities of the host Government
The host Government shall be in charge of the logistical issues and costs associated with
the event, including:
 Identifying which Ministers to invite (ie. which Minister is in charge of the Social
Development portefolio in each Asia-Pacific Member State)
 Official invitation letters to Ministers in charge of the Social Development portfolio in
Asia Pacific, also encouraging them to appoint a focal point to attend the senior
officials meeting
 Protocol arrangements for the Ministers, including issuing of visas free of charge for
participants (when required) in due time; ensuring transportation from/to the airport;
 Arranging security for Ministers
 Covering accomodation and all meals for Ministers or their representatives, as well
as for senior officials attending also the senior official meeting
 Covering accomodation and meals for all IGC Vice-Presidents who might attend the
Forum
 The invitation letters to the Vice-Presidents of the MOST IGC Bureau
 Covering lunch for all the participants in the Forum
 Hosting a welcome reception or dinner for all participants in the Forum
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Covering the conference venue and all needed logistics, including simultaneous
interpretation, if needed, and technical secretariat staff
Publicizing the Forum – providing access for the press to previously agreed
sessions with the participants, organizing press conference, and producing press
releases for the local media; ensuring a team of rapporteurs to produce the report of
the Forum.
Proposing participants in addition to Ministers
Circulating the draft declaration to all participants prior to the Forum
Possibly organizing field visits to be exposed to “best practices’’ in policies in
Malaysia
Usual responsibilites of UNESCO
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Identifying possible participants apart from the Ministers: i) Representatives of
regional research institutions and main social sciences networks in Asia-Pacific
countries ; ii) Representatives of UN entities and other intergovernmental
organisations; iii) Representatives of civil society
Sending out invitation letters to the above
Commissioning research papers from experts prior to the Forum
Preparing the draft agenda, draft concept paper and ministerial declaration for
feedback from the Ms Dato’Sri Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Women, Family and
Community Development
Circulating the concept paper for the Forum to all participants prior to the Forum
Arrangements with respect to international travel costs vary considerably from one Forum
to another and will require specific discussion in due course.
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